Casiotone MT-11

(as always, click on the pics for hi-res pics)

You know what ? Enough with the hi-tech stuff… let’s go back to something basic, primitive, oh so primitive…

The Casiotone MT-11 is a preset keyboard from you know who. It sports 32 totally non-sensitive mini-keys, something like 2 octaves and a half, starting rather oddly on F

As you can see, the MT-11 features four sections.

The first is labelled “Power” and contains a single switch that must trigger something inside the keyboard because when you switch it on, a red diode lights up and strange eighties sounds begin to pour out the tiny speaker on the right.

The second section, “Tone”, allows you to access to no less than eight presets, which happen to be really good. Admittedly, the harp and pipe organ aren’t very realistic, the organ evokes a lilliputian version of a Moog lead, and there’s little chance the piano would fool anyone but a deaf squirrel with a bad drug habit. But given you pay attention to the third “Effect” section, and switch both vibrato and sustain on, the accordion, violin and clarinet will provide a nice, warm, analog-ish tone.

The last section is called “Volume”, and really speaks for itself.
The MT-11 works on a DC7,5V adaptor, or five 1,5V batteries. There’s some sort of line output in the back.
I bought it 1€ (or was it 2€, I can’t remember) last spring in a garage sale, and used it on a couple of songs along with the usual armada.



For educational purpose, here’s a demo I did today on this flamboyant and japanese machine.
Moog bass (your musically astute ear won’t fail to identify it) and heavily compressed Böhm drums, all the rest is Casiotone MT-11 in all its lo-fi glory.

Casio Tune